No deal after Paul Ryan, Patty Murray meeting

Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Republican Rep. Paul Ryan met Wednesday as they try to hash out a multi-year budget deal, but no agreement was reached during the one-on-one session in the Capitol, according to multiple sources familiar with the talks.

The meeting between the top two negotiators comes more than one week before a Dec. 13 deadline for Murray and Ryan to finish a budget pact that would set spending levels through 2015, while replacing part of the automatic spending cuts known as the sequester.

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“Chairman Murray remains optimistic. She continues to talk with Chairman Ryan and work with him, and she’s hopeful they can reach a deal,” said Eli Zupnick, a spokesman for the Senate Budget Committee. Murray chairs the Senate Budget Committee, while Ryan heads up the House panel.

Murray and Ryan are trying to wrap up a budget agreement that would set 2014 discretionary spending levels near $1 trillion, while replacing the sequester with alternative, targeted spending cuts. No cuts will be made to entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

The potential deal, as described by sources involved, also includes increasing revenue by way of increasing fees on airline ticket purchases. It doesn’t include revenue from tax hikes.

One sticking point is a GOP proposal to raise retirement benefit payments by federal workers, an idea that President Barack Obama also suggested in his own budget plan. Democratic leaders overall have been lukewarm on that proposal, with some like House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) strongly opposed. Hoyer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), ranking member on the House Budget Committee, would rather see cuts to farm programs or some other spending reductions rather than another hit to federal employees.

If Ryan and Murray come to a budget deal, it needs to move through Congress quickly. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Republican leadership have set Dec. 13 as an adjournment date, although if an agreement is imminent, the House could stay longer. The Senate, meanwhile, is not in session this week, but returns Monday for two weeks.

A budget deal could help normalize a Congress beset by endless budget skirmishes in recent years. Developing a top-line spending level would allow the Senate and House appropriations committees to negotiate funding bills each year, instead of keeping the government open by continuing resolution.